


Trapped in a cage (Serial Killer AU-Ryuji/Reader)

by CinnamonRoll123



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira's evil, Angst, Death, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, He's like really evil, Manipulation, Mentions of Murder, Mind Control, Ryuji's a sad boi, serial killer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-10-25 15:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17728190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinnamonRoll123/pseuds/CinnamonRoll123
Summary: After Okumura died, the Phantom Thieves reacted negatively to the hate and turned to murder to solve their problems.Did they choose to murder, or was it out of their control?And what happens when one of their members has a shadow?Proofread by ErinTheTrickster





	1. Chapter 1

The target dissolved into black dust as you slashed it ferociously with your sword. Cheers filled the air; everyone celebrating the fifth target in a row that you had exterminated.  
You guys didn’t change hearts anymore. After Haru’s father died, and after she had gotten over it, you all decided to start to kill. Well, more accurately, Akira decided. Clearly, no one liked the Phantom Thieves at all so you might as well give everyone a reason to hate you. Your personas soon changed. Akira’s ability was severely limited-which was annoying-, no shadow trusting him at all and well, everyone else’s personas were completely unrecognisable. They changed to grungier, darker personas, with scowls on their faces. For example: Milady didn’t even hide her guns anymore, and her dress was splattered with black blood.  
Yours didn’t change much. The Grim Reaper didn’t have to change to be scary anyway. That was something that intrigued you. Why was your persona the Grim Reaper, the bringer of death and misfortune? And why were you the designated sniper? Why did your awakening create the sniper rifle and the copious amount of guns you had? It was fun, but raised a few questions.  
“You thinking hard about something?” Ryuji asked, swinging his bat around.  
“Hmm…” you nodded, noting the silence of your persona. “Is your persona…quiet?”  
“Captain Kidd is…” he paused, a frown on his face before shaking his head. Thinking about it, Ryuji had refused to join in the attack, claiming that Captain Kidd wasn’t feeling so well.  
You didn’t know personas could get ill.  
“Quiet? Quite the opposite actually,” Yusuke cut in, pushing Ryuji to the side, clearly listening from the start. “Goemon is as lively and as helpful as ever.”  
You hesitated. Grim reaper had always been quieter than the other personas but now he was just silent, obeying your every command, but with no support. No careful, softly-spoken advice. You missed his presence. At least before, he was a constant calming presence in your head. Now, he was always gone or was just in your head, intrusive and well, just there.  
“Reaper…?” you whispered quietly as you left the Metaverse, thinking that he might speak to you if you said it aloud.  
Silence.  
Sighing, you switched to speaking in your head.  
_Reaper! Talk to me, please._  
_Yes…?_  
He finally answered, and his calm voice soothed you instantly, even if he didn’t sound so happy. You got on a train and sat down.  
_Why aren’t you talking to me? I miss you._  
_I don’t agree with what you are doing._  
But the Grim reaper was the bringer of death and misfortune. And he was also part of you which meant he should technically agree with you, right?  
_I can hear you._  
He sighed, allowing himself to be seen in your mind’s eye. He crossed his arms and sighed, scythe glinting.  
_I am the bringer of death, but I am not cruel. I bring death to those who have to die. It’s my job. I do not bring death to people who don’t need it. And you are correct in thinking I am you, but I’m the part of you that doesn’t want this. And for your soul’s power to be against you, must mean that you’re against it too, correct?_  
You weren’t. You couldn’t be against retribution. An eye for and eye. And all that. Okay, so maybe when you started the killings you were uncomfortable, but you soon warmed up to it after Akira proved that it was right.  
_You shouldn’t trust that Akira so much. He’s quite manipulative and knows how to twist your opinion. He’s the leader for a reason._  
The train arrived at Yongen-Jaya and you got off, heart pounding at what Reaper said. He couldn’t be right. Akira was the perfect leader, always there, always planning the trips, always buying the equipment…controlling every aspect of the Phantom thieves.  
Walking at a brisk pace, you cleared your head, Reaper disappearing again into the darkness of your head. You ran into Akira on the way home, but you couldn’t look him in the eye after what Reaper had said. Looking around, he leant in and whispered,  
“Are you alright? Ryuji told me that Reaper was being quiet and you were worried.”  
Of course Ryuji told Akira! They were glued to each other all the time!  
“I’m fine,” you answered, averting your eyes. “I…was just being paranoid.”  
Akira smiled mysteriously at you, a smile that you once thought was cool, but now it looked a little scary. You walked away, all the way home.  
_Reaper!_  
_Yes?_  
_You’re controlling my cognition of Akira aren’t you?_  
_…_  
_Well?_  
_You found out._  
_Undo it now!_  
He didn’t answer, but presumably took the spell off of you. Frowning, you got ready for bed, Reaper completely gone from your mind.

“I’ve got some news,” Ryuji admitted finally, after almost an hour of interrogating. “Bad news…and good. Sort of.”  
He looked worried and was biting his lip, completely different to normal Ryuji.  
“What is it?” you questioned, something in your gut telling you something was horribly wrong.  
“I have a shadow…at least you guys now have a job, am I right?”  
Everyone laughed except you, clearly finding the fact that one of their teammates was so tormented by their soul that they had a shadow funny. Ryuji would never be a criminal. He cared too much about his mother to even dream about committing crime.  
“We’ll deal with you in two days. I’m getting my information on another target tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait,” Akira stated, not at all sympathetic to the fact his best friend was going to be killed. Ryuji smiled weakly, fidgeting desperately with his hands.  
Everyone nodded at Akira’s decision, not batting an eye at the idea of killing their friend.  
Killing someone like a criminal?  
Sure, no problem…with some slight guilt.  
But Ryuji?  
Someone you knew and cared about?  
No.  
You couldn’t.  
You wouldn’t.  
You opened your mouth to refuse before a force clamped your mouth shut.  
_Don’t tell him!_  
_R-reaper?_  
_If you tell him, he’ll know that you’re against him._  
_Oh… how else do I save Ryuji then?_  
_You’ve got tomorrow._  
“Anything wrong?” Akira asked, looking at you curiously. With a furtive glance towards Ryuji, you shook your head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit vague but it 'll all be explained later, I promise.

Before embarking on your inevitable mission, you took the time to visit Ryuji, considering the fact that nobody else would. Even to say goodbye. For all they knew, Ryuji was going to die.

Not on your watch.

You knocked on the door of the apartment politely, surprised when Ryuji answered the door, not his mother. You had already prepared some excuse for the random visit just in case she got curious, but that careful planning wouldn’t be used. Shame.

_You’re here to comfort your friend._

Reaper frowned in your mind’s eye, jolting you to action after a bit of silence. Ryuji looked awful, and that was being nice. His hair was like a bird’s nest, presumably like that after a sleepless night since he also had dark circles surrounding his eyes, and the way he carried his body was different. No relaxedness, just tiredness and fear.

“Are you here to…say goodbye?” he asked, his voice sounding like someone force-fed him spikes and then made him talk.

“Maybe. But either way, it’s not a conversation I should be having at your doorstep.”

He guided you in, nervously glancing at you as if you were a time bomb before telling you to sit down at the dining table. Sitting down, you gestured for him to join and took a deep breath.

“Ryuji,” you started, the question already sticking in your throat. “Why do you have a shadow?”

His eyes wandered everywhere, searching for an excuse to hurl at you, but one look was enough to get him to speak.

“Everyone makes me feel useless. With Morgana and Ann telling me that all the time, Yusuke pushing me out the way and everyone acting like I’m trash…you know, it gets to you,” he sighed. “And Akira, who’s supposed to be like, my best bro, always goes on about ranking my ‘social stat’ up, or whatever that is and now he’s just stopped hanging out with me.”

“Ryuji…”

“I guess you were the only one who was kinda nice to me. And now I’m gonna die.”

You clenched your fists angrily, cursing Akira and his entire being. Goddamn glasses-wearing, manipulative smart-ass! As if he sensed your anger, Ryuji smiled gently, but that did nothing to abate your anger. Who taught him to smile even when he desperately wanted to cry?

“Ryuji, I want you to listen carefully,” you bit your lip anxiously. “You are not useless and whoever’s told you that is out of their mind. But listen even more when I say this, you are not going to die. I won’t let it happen.”

Your bottom lip trembled, but you held it in. It was the least you could do; act strong for Ryuji so he could lower his defences for once. A tear rolled down his cheek and you wiped it away tenderly with your thumb.

“Thanks Y/N,” he sniffed. “I…really needed that.”

“I’m going to go now, but make sure you stay home alright?”

“Good luck with whatever you’re doing,” he waved at you with a weak smile on his face.

You disappeared into Mementos quietly, trying to steady the erratic beating of your heart. God, you had never been this nervous before.

“Hey!” a girl called out to you and you whipped your head around, weapon at the ready. You saw not one, but two girls, both wearing some kind of prison warden outfit in front of a glowing blue jail cell door.

“You’re quite lucky to be allowed permission in here even though you are not the Trickster,” one girl said, the one with plaited hair. “However, the Trickster is not allowed in here no more.”

“Just come in!” the other girl said, who had twin buns. They did seem scary, but probably had no intention to hurt you so you braced yourself and approached the doorway.

 

“Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor.”

Igor, a man with an extremely long nose faced you, but the nose did not distract you from the multiple guillotines and the electric chair.

“What are those?” you asked before realising that you had missed out the most important question. “I mean, what is this place?”

“This place exists in between reality and.-”

“Stop it with the dramatics and get on with it!” you cried out.

“This is inside Akira’s heart. A prison,” Igor explained calmly. “Quite…fitting, considering his situation.”

“Then what are those?”

“He can use the guillotines to create new personas by fusing them. And the electric chair changes the personas into items to use in battle.”

“Got that?” the girl with twin buns hit the prison with her baton ferociously. You nodded unsurely, before realising what this could mean.

“I’m not executing Reaper, if that’s what you want!”

“That’s not what we want. Those services are unavailable to you since you cannot carry more than one persona,” Igor laced his fingers together carefully.

“They’re also not available to _him_ either,” the calmer of the two girls frowned and twirled her clipboard.

Akira?

_Maybe he got banned for killing people._

_Good point, Reaper._

“Why am I here then?” you asked, nervous that the two girls might execute you. They looked like they wanted to.

“An explanation of sorts, I guess you could say,” Igor smiled enigmatically.

“But you have to earn it!” the girl with twin buns yelled. “Save that friend of yours, then come back!”

You were bodily thrown from the room, only to find that the glowing door was gone. Licking your lips nervously, you made your way down into the depths.

 

“Is this it?” you asked, hands shaking.

“Seems so,” Reaper replied, appearing behind you. He patted your shoulder gently, a gesture to try and calm you down. You stepped through the entrance, only to see the darkest, dirtiest Mementos target room you had ever seen. The only light came from a person, shrouded in the corner. Ryuji.

“Why did you come here?” he asked, voice distorted. “Here to poke fun at me? You must hate me a lot to fake being nice.”

“I-I’m not faking it Ryuji!” your hands trembled uncontrollably.

“You have to be!” he screamed, voice breaking at the end. He changed into his battle form, which was just him with a weapon. You braced yourself, knowing how strong Ryuji was with melee attacks when he wasn’t a distorted form of himself. Clearly, you didn’t brace yourself enough because when the hit came, he knocked you flat onto the floor. Again. And again. He wouldn’t stop whilst sobbing uncontrollably.

“Why aren’t you fighting more? Why?”

Lying there, you felt the hop start to fade away. You were clearly weak. How in the world could you defeat Ryuji? That explanation would be lost. The mystery of that room would be lost.

_Don’t give up!_

Reaper’s cries were lost to you. You weren’t listening.

Then, he stopped attacking.

“Did I…kill them?” he gazed over your ‘dead’ body.

_This is an opportunity to knock him down!_

You stayed still, breathing shallowly, willing him to come closer. When he took a tentative step forward, you whipped out Reaper and cast a paralysis spell. Ryuji froze and then slumped to the ground, seeing everything but not able to move.

You moved closer to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation of the paralysis spell:  
> Only Reaper can do it  
> It's a better version of Shock  
> And it takes 20 SP


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an explanation chapter, and I'm not sure if it makes sense, but I made it up at 4 in the morning.

“Y-you tricked me...I-I thought you were…I thought you were-” shadow Ryuji stumbled over his words, struggling against your paralysis spell.  
“Stop moving! It’ll hurt more-just please stop! Let me talk to you-please listen! Ryuji!”  
“What?” he snapped back, gritting his teeth. “Here to poke fun at me?”  
“No, Ryuji, listen! I want to help you!”  
“Help me how? By pretending to be dead? Making me think that I had…killed you?”  
“I’m sorry, I really am, but I had to do it so I could talk to you-honestly!”  
He made a sceptical noise but stayed quiet, prompting you to speak.  
“I care about you, ok? I don’t want you dead. That’s why I’m here. And-and no matter what Akira wants, I will save you,” you looked at shadow Ryuji in the eyes determinedly, trying to convey your feelings.  
“Akira and the rest don’t care about whether I die,” shadow Ryuji grumbled.  
“Akira does not control your whole world!” you retorted angrily, making his eyes widen. “Sorry. But you control your world.”  
“But Akira was the one who made me feel useful…I can’t do that,” he stared at the floor melancholically.  
“You are useful! When I first joined, you were the one who made me feel welcome, and you’re also really strong and quick! You are the one I look up to. So, please don’t say that you’re useless.”  
“You’re really nice, ya know?” shadow Ryuji whispered, and the compliment went straight to your heart, warming your whole body.  
“I promise, as soon as I get out of here, I’ll explain everything and everything will be fine so…um…” you trailed off, not knowing how to convince him to be happy. He smiled softly, glowing at the edges.  
“Make the explanation good, k?” he disappeared, leaving his treasure glowing in the air. You grabbed it, surprised at the size of it. It was a tiny ramen keychain, one that Akira had clipped onto his bag, matching with Ryuji. Akira had long since disposed of it right in front of Ryuji. Making a mental note to return it, you left the area, heart pounding in anticipation for that explanation Igor was talking about.

Approaching the blue, glowing door carefully, you knocked politely, since no one was outside the door. The door opened violently, almost hitting you in the face. Stepping in, the door clanged shut and the glowing blue aesthetic of the velvet room surrounded you.  
“Welcome back,” Igor laced his fingers together, still sitting in the same place he had been. Which raised another question. How long did Igor and the two girls just stay immobile? Did they move? Igor certainly didn’t.  
“Stay focused inma-girl!” twin bun girl whacked her baton against the bars for the 16th time.  
“Yes ma’am,” you replied wearily. “Can I have the explanation now?”  
“Master?” the calmer girl glanced curiously at Igor, clearly wanting to know about the explanation as well. Apparently Igor had not told them about the secret. Strange, considering they called him master and all that. Which was also strange, but the explanation was more important than Igor’s possible paedophilia.   
“As you know, the Trickster has the ability to change his persona. This means that he is stronger in the ability of changing cognitions of people, correct?” Igor explained, not making any sense.  
“Sure…”  
“So, he took it upon himself to go to the depths of Mementos and tried to find your hearts-to change them to follow his every word, you see? However, you all have personas and no shadows in the Metaverse, so-”  
“Wait, wait! There’s something in the depths of Mementos?”  
“Yes, everyone’s shadows. You didn’t know? As soon as you change someone’s heart, they join everyone else in the depths.”  
“We…sent them back?”  
“Yes. Anyway, as soon as Akira felt that he had no option but to give up on his dream, he came across someone who promised whatever he desired just for one simple request.”  
“Who did he meet? What did he give in exchange for his desire?” you asked, pulse quickening.  
“I am unable to tell you that. Just the fact that the someone is the Holy Grail.” Igor cleared his throat, lounging back in his chair. “The Trickster exchanged his soul for the control of his ‘friends’. Thus, he does not carry any affection for any of you.”  
“But then how am I out of his control? And Ryuji? I think…”  
“The Holy Grail never gave Akira total control. The Holy Grail is rather clever, after all. You all have personalities and feeling, and if your heart is strong enough, you can break out of your cage. You, who was new and not that close to everyone, broke out easily; and your friend, who had been neglected broke out due to sadness.”  
How did Igor know everything about you? Hands shaking, you took in all the information, dreading the inevitable explanation that you would have to give to Ryuji. How would you explain that Ryuji’s ‘best’ friend didn’t care about him-or anyone for that matter? The two girls shared your expression and reaction.  
“I need to leave,” you scrabbled with the door frantically before bursting out and running out of Mementos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I spent 2 hours thinking about how to walk into the Velvet room because I'm that sad, but it was worht it to explain everything.


	4. Chapter 4

“If only we could reset everything, like in a game,” Ryuji sighed, popping some chocolate into his mouth.

“This isn’t a game! And how are you so calm?” you clenched and unclenched your fists again and again, unable to comprehend anything that Igor had told you.

“I don’t know,” he leaned back, frowning. “I…just have a little voice in my head telling me to be calm. Must be my shadow or something.”

“What do we do?” you stared at the ground, hoping that some answer would appear. Ryuji offered no answer. You couldn’t just fight Akira. Everyone else could probably defeat both of you in a heartbeat, and since Akira had no soul, he wouldn’t bat an eye to killing either of you. And Akira had control over the Phantom Thieves due to his weird manipulation cage thing he had going on.

“Mementos,” you muttered, an idea rushing to you. “Mementos! What stops us from going to the Holy Grail thing and wishing for something?”

 “It’ll be difficult though.”

“If Akira can do it, we can!” you grabbed Ryuji’s shoulders enthusiastically, excited about your plan. “We can do this!”

“Y/N…too close…” Ryuji squirmed uncomfortably, flushing a bright crimson. Lifting your arms up quickly as if they were burned, you coughed nervously, heart thumping.

“What will we wish for though..?” you bit your lip dejectedly, worried about your plan crumbling to dust.

“Reset everything, of course,” Ryuji suggested. “Anyway, don’t you have that mission today or something? To…kill me.”

“I’m ‘sick’. And if we’re going to work on this mission, then I guess we’ll be skipping school.”

“Mom will kill me!” Ryuji complained, crossing his arms.

“The choice is saving the world or your mom, Ryuji. Make your choice, cause we’ll be gone.”

“Gone?”

“You think we can stay here? Futaba will be on our trail and probably hack into anything she can to spy on us. Actually…” you took your phone and stared at it. Grabbing washi tape, you covered the camera and then passed the tape to Ryuji. You couldn’t destroy your phone, since you needed it to get to the Metaverse. Shoving your phone into the deepest, darkest corner of your bag and covering it with anything you could; clothes, shoes, fake guns, etc., etc.

“What’s in that, anyway?” Ryuji peered inside curiously.

“Stuff that I need. I can’t stay at home,” you zipped the bag up. “That reminds me, you have to pack.”

“Why?”

“We’re not staying here, silly. We’re going to stay at a hotel or something to stay away from them.”

“But…my mom…”

“Again, the world or your mom! I know you love her, but come on! Leave a note and say goodbye! We’ll be back, I promise,”

Ryuji sighed before going into his room and rummaging around loudly. Too loudly. Rolling your eyes, you followed him, swinging your head around the door.

“Why are you being so loud?” you asked. And then you realised the redness of Ryuji’s eyes and the tears streaming down his face. Eyes widening, you ran over to him quickly, but he hid his face and rubbed frantically. When you managed to make him look at you, all his tears were gone and he was just a bit red.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean to sound so horrible, but I didn’t know how else to say it!” you rambled, worried that you might have to lose another friend.

“I-it’s fine, just have to leave my mom, you know, that’s fine…”

“I’m sorry.” Not knowing what to do, you hugged him without thinking at all. He stiffened and froze under your touch and his shoulders started to shake again, signalling that he had started to cry.

“It’s j-just difficult f-for me c-cause I was really close to Akira and I have to leave my m-mom,” he wept, finally hugging you back. When he did, you realised just how strong he was, considering you could just feel his muscles through hugging alone. The thought made your cheeks flare up and you chased away the weird thoughts that flew around.

“We’ll do this, ok?” you looked at him reassuringly, smiling slightly. “Together.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonder if anyone can spot the persona 4 reference (it's pretty obvious).

Scrounging up the money to pay for the motel room and making preparations was pretty easy. However, locating a decent, affordable, out-of-sight motel proved to be a fairly difficult task, to say the least.  
But against all odds, somehow you managed to locate such an establishment. Now, you were faced with the challenge of getting Ryuji to leave his apartment. He wouldn’t even write the goodbye note!  
“We went over this, Ryuji. I’m sorry, but please write it…you’ve even got part of it done,” you pleaded, aware of the time ticking away. He sighed and obliged, slowly writing each word, with surprisingly neat penmanship. Tossing the pen, he clutched his bag and slung it over his shoulder, gritting his teeth. You weren’t sure whether the tension in his expression was aimed at you, or in response to being forced out of his home.   
“You didn’t have to say goodbye to your parents,” he grumbled.  
“I said goodbye to them a long time ago!” you retorted.  
Without even waiting, he bolted out the door and waved as if asking you to follow. You were the leader, not him!  
-

Futaba clicked furiously on her laptop, clicking on to the secret bug and camera she planted in Ryuji’s apartment. She was shocked to find an empty room.  
“That little…” she snarled angrily. “They both left!”   
Akira sauntered into the room casually, seemingly unbothered by her shouting. He raised one eyebrow in a silent question.  
“They’ve left, Akira! I don’t know where they’re going!”  
“Check security cameras in Tokyo. They couldn’t have gone far,” he adjusted his glasses. “If I know Ryuji, he would’ve been all sentimental over leaving his mother.” He smirked at the idea of having feelings and left the room, Futaba cracking her knuckles in preparation.  
-

“Ain’t we leavin’ Tokyo?” Ryuji asked curiously, as you walked down the dark, shady alleys.  
“Can’t. Mementos is in Tokyo, so we’ve got no choice,” you sighed sadly. “I wish we could leave too. It’s making me jumpy.” A loud bang in the near distance made you tense up. In response to that, Ryuji scooted closer to you.  
“It’s alright. I’ll keep you safe.”  
Your face reddened, and you carefully shuffled towards the blond, closing the distance. Maybe being on edge like this wasn’t so bad, after all.   
Coming to a stop, you took a look at the motel you were staying at. Or, as the sign said, “oel”, as the lights illuminating the “M” and “t” had gone out.   
Oh yes, you guys were in for a great time for sure.  
“You reserved rooms…here?”  
“What can I say? I was out of options” You dragged him into the motel quickly, scanning for security cameras.  
A laid-back employee sat behind the check-in area, face buried behind a magazine. Pieces of paper, wrappers, and other debris littered the floor behind him, looking better than the tacky carpet spread.  
“Excuse me! I’m Nanako Hanamura, I reserved a room so…” you trailed off, met with silence. The person behind the counter didn’t even acknowledge you. After a brief silence, he simply tossed a key and pointed up, not once lifting his face as he flipped to another page. You assumed he meant upstairs. Whilst climbing the stairs, Ryuji stared at the key strangely.  
“Wait, how come we only got one key? And who’s Nanako Hanamura?”  
“Simple: one key for the one room. It’s cheaper this way. Since this place doesn’t check names, I figured I’d mash up some old friends’ names. ”  
“For real?! One room to share?” he cried out, his voice echoing in the dusty stairwell.  
“Shhh! Yes!” you replied, exiting the stairwell into a corridor. Strangely, whenever you took a step, your foot stayed with the carpet longer than it should.  
“Aww hell, the carpet’s sticky…”  
You nodded grimly, not wanting to stay in the corridor for any longer. A sudden realization hit you that you had to stay in a room in this place. Maybe being caught by the Phantom Thieves would be a favorable experience. Opening your door slowly, you were met with… something you weren’t expecting. Instead of mess and dirt everywhere, it was reasonably hygienic. You turned around to celebrate the relatively clean suite. Meanwhile, Ryuji became uncharacteristically quiet. You found that the blonde was not celebrating, as he was so scared of the possible mess that he had his hands over his eyes Feeling something well up inside you, you began to let out a bemused laugh, all the tension leaving your body.  
“Wha-Why’re you laughing?” he demanded.  
“Aww, what’s wrong? Is the big bad punk scared of a little mold? ” you smiled. Maybe you had overreacted, but all the stress had to be released somehow.  
“I bet the room’s absolute shit, though- oh shit, it’s not,” he half-smiled, still annoyed.. Rolling your eyes, you made your way into the room, gingerly inspecting the bed before crashing down on it, face down. When you got up, Ryuji coughed nervously and turned around violently.  
“Ryuji…?”  
“It’s nothing! Let’s just start planning, ‘kay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating it for awhile, I've been dealing with an injury. Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're starting the journey to the depths!

Ryuji jiggled his foot restlessly, glancing out the window every five seconds like a hyperactive security camera. His obnoxiously yellow shorts jumped up every time he moved, revealing something you couldn’t quite see. You took a break from checking your bag religiously- something which was more of a nervous tic than anything- to squint carefully at the thing. If you were correct, that was…the edge of a scar.

His scar from Kamoshida.

You really hadn’t heard much, other than rumours, about his ‘accident’. Considering you hadn’t been there when the whole thing with Kamoshida happened, you couldn’t really understand what exactly happened in Kamoshida’s palace. It was the first palace, when Akira was still a sane human being.

“Hello? Why’re you staring at my leg?” Ryuji waved his hand in your face, confusion clouding his eyes.

“What…exactly happened with Kamoshida?” you asked cautiously, not missing the twitch of his eye. “I’m sorry! It’s a stupid thing to say really-just ignore it!”

“Well, you gotta know something about it, cause of those rumours.”

Kamoshida broke your leg for ‘self-defence’…right?”

“Yeah…but he was an abusive asshole before so I kinda don’t regret it. It lead to Phantom Thief stuff anyway,” he sighed, and slumped into an armchair.

“Aaaah! Don’t sit on that!” you cried out, a little too late.

“H-huh? WHAT AM I SITTING ON?” he yelled angrily, jumping up too late, the chair releasing him with a sticky squelch.

You didn’t know what was on that chair, but you had made the mistake of setting a bag of convenience store food on it when you first arrived. The food was fine. If you looked carefully on the chair, you could still see some of the plastic fragments from the bag, now with some material from Ryuji’s trousers.

“WHAT WAS ON THAT CHAIR?” he stressed, running around frantically, grabbing his head in confusion and shock.

“I don’t know!” you answered back, smile creeping up on your lips.

“It’s not funny, Y/N!”

“Yeah, yeah…it’s not funny,” you replied, suppressing a smile. Ryuji fled into the bathroom angrily, huffing and puffing.

He came back out after five minutes, changed and looking mildly annoyed. You held out a yakisoba bread with a nervous smile.

“I know it’s your favourite so…here?”

He took it with a shocked smile, pink dusting his cheeks.

“You knew?”

 

 -

 

“Mementos.”

You and Ryuji didn’t say a word after that, trekking to the entrance quickly. Both of you had decided that it was safer to walk in the Metaverse and back since no-one (hopefully) could catch you. When you reached the entrance, Ryuji clenched his fists, an action not missed by you. Was Mementos always this big? Or as scary?

Or was it the fact that you knew the depths contained everyone’s hearts, easily manipulated and controlled. A shudder rolled through your body, heart pounding in your chest. Ryuji stood silently, not moving a muscle. He clearly wasn’t being the leader, so you had to be. Stepping forward, you touched him tentatively on the shoulder and brought your face close to his. There were _other_ ways to get his attention, but you…wanted to touch him, if that made sense. Oh, but you weren’t a weirdo.

“Sh-shall we go?” you asked quietly, trying to ignore the red that was creeping up your cheeks, and focused on the red creeping up his whole face. He nodded, staying mute.

You glanced around the entrance area with Ryuji, but you were looking for different things. You were searching for that blue door, and he was probably searching for the PT. The door was sadly gone, and thankfully, the entrance was empty. Futaba had not found you. Not knowing quite what to do, you stood around awkwardly. Sure, you had both made plans on how to successfully and efficiently make your way down to the depths, but now that you were there…the plans had fizzled out.

“So…what do we do again?” Ryuji shuffled around nervously, the blush from before still there, and not quite meeting your eyes. You copied his actions, staring at the red, veined walls almost aggressively, just to avoid his eyes.

“Just go down, avoid as many shadows as we can, use the cans of SP soda I got and don’t die, I guess?” you chuckled scratching your chin.

“Let’s go then,” he met your eyes and held out his hand. Surprised, you took it, feeling comforted at the soft but firm grip he had on you. You smiled at your joined hands as you passed though the entrance.

 

 -

 

Meanwhile, a group of hidden teens emerged silently, staring at your backs.

“Aww, look at the lovebirds…..sickening,” Ann twirled a tendril of her hair round her finger, desperately looking in Akira’s direction.

“Where’re they going, Futaba?” Akira asked, ignoring Ann’s plea for attention.

“To the depths. We gotta stop them! But, I can track them and we can get there faster cause of me!” Futaba smirked, and accepted the high five from Akira. Ann watched helplessly from the background.

“Front line: Makoto, Yusuke and Ryu-” Akira paused. “Sorry, habit. The last person is Haru.”

Ann scowled and looked at her whip. Maybe she could whip the people taking her idol, her _love_ away from her?

“Ann?” Akira questioned with a tilt of his head, and all violent thoughts flew out the window. Hearts practically oozed from her as she nodded, finally getting noticed. The PT strutted into Mementos, Morgana changing into a car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I went to Japan to see my family. The next chapter will be up sooner!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So close to the end!

Making your way to the depths was difficult, to say the least. In fact, that was underestimating the stamina and strength it took to go through each floor. You were reminded of a certain, bratty cat. Bitterly, you were reminded of how having Morgana would be very useful, despite being an annoying, insufferable prick.

“Tired?” Ryuji asked, looking concerned. You marvelled at the fact that he managed to get this far with you without looking the least bit drained, despite doing most of the physical fighting.

“Tiny bit, yeah.”

_He’s concerned for you. Hmm…_

_Reaper!_

Reaper cackled and smiled at you.

_There’s nothing wrong with being in love._

_R-reaper, I’m not-I can’t be-no- not Ryuji!_

_I art thou. Thou art I. I know everything about you._

You couldn’t be in love with Ryuji, right? Sure, you were close and you supported each other, and maybe you liked hugging him, and _maybe_ you liked the way his smile lit up any room-

But being in love with him was a ridiculous idea. It wasn’t necessarily that you were averse to the idea, though. He was a sweet, sensitive, charming, caring, and incredibly loyal person. The idea of him being a romantic wouldn’t be too out of the question. Without really realising, you started to think about how he would treat you.

He was simply a very comfortable person to be around. Granted, dating would be much less romantic and more...easy-going? But there was something about picturing the two of you going out and having a good time together that made you wonder. Whether it was sharing drinks from the vendors in the underground mall, holding hands in the darkness of the movie theatre, or just staying indoors and cuddling up on cold day. You couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

_What did I say?_

Reaper winked at you, and you felt your face flush bright crimson.

“Y/N?” Ryuji waved his hand over your face. “You hot or something?”

“I-I’m fine,” you choked out.

_He’s right there Y/N! Calm yourself down!_ You thought to yourself frantically, shooing the intrusive thoughts away. Ryuji probably didn’t like you anyway.

Little did you know, Ryuji was walking ahead, thinking to himself about how he liked it when you blushed and how he hoped it was because of him.

 

-

 

“They’re flirting! Again!” Futaba cried out. “And they’re blocking the escalator to the next level!”

“Be patient. We can still make it there before them,” Akira said. “How many levels left?”

“Five.”

Whilst this conversation was going on, two people were ignoring it and staring at your retreating figures. One person was Ann, for obvious reasons: she wanted Akira to stare at her with the same admiration she saw in the looks Ryuji gave you. Like he was in love and would do anything for her. Why were you getting the person you loved, but not her?

The other person was Haru. She was a soft person at heart, and seeing love in front of her made her heart melt. Was it really right to do what they were planning? Did you really deserve to die?

In the depths of Mementos, a pink heart slowly edged its way to the cage door, but couldn’t quite make it through and was pulled back by a black heart. A red heart made a move as if it was going to leave but it stopped.

 

 -

 

Dawdling in front of the last escalator, you fidgeted with the sleeve of your black cloak. Sadly, that fidgeting led to you dropping your scythe with a loud clang.

“Nervous?” Ryuji scooted closer to you-maybe he was trying to help you feel better?

“Yeah…we’re almost there.”

“We can do this,” Ryuji’s eyes sparkled with determination. “I know it.”

Without warning, he embraced you, squeezing you tight, but not too tight. You hugged him back, burying your face into his shoulder, smelling something like aftershave. When you pulled away, both of you still stayed somewhat close, faces red and eyes shining. Even in the darkness, you could see Ryuji’s eyes, and the faint light in the dark depths hit his eyes in just the right way so they reminded you of everything good in the world. Specks of gold shone, resembling the colour as his hair.

“Sorry to interrupt your tender moment, but we’ve got to go,” Reaper said, appearing behind you and crossing his arms. Clearly, he had decided to appear just to embarrass you. You both jerked back like a hand on a hot stove, you smiled sheepishly at one another and descended further into Mementos, saying goodbye to the romantic atmosphere.

 

 -

 

Usually, the beginning of a new level was quite simple in appearance, almost like a carbon copy of the previous floor. However, the entrance to the depths was enormous. You felt like a pinprick compared to the sheer size of the door. It wasn’t open.

“Do we have to touch it to open it? Like all the other doors?” you asked Ryuji, who shrugged.

“Yes,” someone answered, who sounded awfully familiar. Whipping your head back, you saw the PT glowering at you, their weapons and demeanour scarier than ever. You scowled at Akira, who was stood in front of everyone else.

 

 “We were _meant_ to arrive before you, but _someone_ made us late,” Akira said, giving a stare that could scare a lion to Ann. Ann shrank back, looking disappointed in herself. “Well, I would give a speech, but I’ll save it for your upcoming eulogies.”

You gulped nervously, gripping your scythe. Ryuji clenched his fists. He didn’t look very angry compared to you.

Akira, Haru, Yusuke and Makoto jumped forward, Futaba floating up and everyone else jumping back.

_Reaper, what do I do?_

_Fight._

_I’m scared._

_I know. Do your best. I’ll be here with you all the way._

They made the first strike . You hoped  and prayed none of them had any bless or wind skills. Yusuke, Haru and Makoto hit Akira with buffs, who smirked and adjusted his gloves. Your heart skipped a beat and your hands shook so much that you dropped your weapon. Akira attacked before you could pick it up.

A bless skill tore through your chest, drawing blood and an awful scream out of your chest. Falling onto your knees, you watched the blood drip onto the floor.

“Y/N!” Ryuji cried out, before a wind skill lifted him into the air. He floated there for a couple of seconds before the skill released him and he fell. You both struggled despite your injuries, trying in vain to stand your ground. Your former teammates had you surrounded, guns pointed in your direction.

“Pathetic,” Akira spat out. “I thought you were stronger than that, Ryuji. I expected better from you...As for Y/N, you were weak anyway. Not a very fitting image for someone who wields the power of the Death Arcana.”

You felt anger bubble in your stomach, but you noticed something else in the corner of your eye. While most of the group’s resolve remained unshaken, two figures were noticeably uncomfortable with this situation: Ann and Haru.

Ann was pointing her gun at you, but was fixated on Akira, a strange expression on her face. Haru was watching you and Ryuji, her grenade launcher shaking in her hand and slightly off target.

“And, Ryuji.” He carried on. “You might be a founding member, but honestly you’re no longer any use to me. You’re dumb, slow, and incompetent. You might have been the one who lit the fire in us in the beginning, but lately you’ve been holding us back. You’re better to us dead, and I’m sure we’re not the only ones. In fact, I bet your mother wishes you were dead.”

Ryuji wasn’t the only one who flinched at that comment. You, Haru and Ann balked at his cruelty, reacting to Akira with varying degrees of shock.

“Aki-”

“No, Ryuji. I wish Kamoshida broke every limb in your body and then killed you. You’re not important. You. Don’t. Matter.”

You had listened to his mockery, trying your best to maintain composure without exploding, but anger and indignation coursed through your veins. Your hands shook with barely concealed rage but your voice stayed stable as you spoke.

“Shut up.”

“What did you say?”

“Shut up!”

You grabbed your weapon and struck Akira, knocking him down. Standing over him, still bleeding, you pinned him down with your foot. Someone shot at you and you winced, but remained standing, blood trickling onto your clothes.

“You talk about how useless Ryuji is but-” someone shot at you again but you ploughed on. “But _you’re_ the most useless here! You can’t do anything without your pawns! You abandoned your humanity, you don’t care and your ego is bigger than the Sky Tree!”

Surprisingly, Akira’s face did not contort with anger and disgust at your barrage of insults. In fact, the expression on his face was filled with regret and shame. Bitter tears trickled from behind his mask.  Your eyes widened and you relented. He didn’t move.

During this reprieve, Ann threw herself next to him, sobbing.

“I loved you!” she wailed. “I loved you, and I was always by your side but you never noticed me! You just kept me around and you...toyed with me! With my feelings!”

You quickly glanced at Haru. Whilst everyone else was shocked or surprised, she returned your gaze with a sad, knowing smile. Ryuji simply stood beside you, grabbing your hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

“You’re right....Everyone t-thought I was special,” Akira wept, wiping his eyes frantically. “But, I-I’m not s-special at all! Before my arrest, I was just-just a nobody...and then I was a criminal. It wasn’t until I met all of you t-that I...Felt like I had worth. I thought that things would get better, but after Okumura’s palace that _empty_ feeling kept coming back. Everyone started to hate us, to hate _me,_ so I...So I....I kept it a s-secret and started to use these powers to stay special, at least in the public’s eyes. With this...With the killings, everyone would think I was special f-forever!”

“You might be a scumbag, but I can’t say that you aren’t unique.” You said flatly, disrupting his weeping. “While each of us has one Persona in our corner, you can use multiple personas and there was a time where you were an admirable leader.”

“B-but I felt useless…”

“Then _say something!_ You could have talked to any of us! They all think the world of you and give you their full support. In fact, the best person to talk to would’ve been Ryuji, who cares about you the most!”

Akira started to cry again. The PT stared at their leader for answers, but all he wanted at that moment was to escape. He practically sprinted out, the rest chasing after him, with Haru falling behind.

You and Ryuji were left in the ruins of the battle. Relieved, you then remembered that you were still bleeding. Grimacing, you checked Ryuji for any signs of injury, before keeling over and passing out.

In the depths of Mementos, the pink heart fought furiously and escaped out of the cage, quickly followed by the red heart.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're there!

Your eyes snapped open, staring at the dark ceiling. Someone was shaking you frantically, shouting. However, your hearing wasn’t quite able to register what was being said. Suddenly, something clicked and you could understand.

“Wake up! Please! I gave you the medicine! It should work! Come on!”

He clearly hadn’t seen your _very_ open eyes.

“Ryuji,” you said, shocked at the conviction you had in your voice. Ryuji’s hands flew to his mouth, and then his arms flew around you. Smiling softly, you sat up and hugged him back. When you finally let go, you both stared into each other’s eyes for almost a minute, not wanting to completely let go just yet. Ryuji clenched his fists and took a deep breath, as if he as preparing for something. You wondered what he was preparing for, but you soon found out.

He moved forward and gently pressed his lips against yours, before flying away as if he had committed a grave sin. Your eyes widened and you sat in shock for a solid second, before blushing profusely and giggling nervously.

“So…?” you asked.

“I-I like…you a lot, ok….” He murmured, rubbing his neck.

“Well…” you faltered, before realising that there was no point in hesitating. “I LIKE YOU TOO!”

He jumped, and then held out his hand for you to hold. You took it, shyly moving closer to him.

Then, you braced yourselves and entered the depths.

 

-

 

The depths of Mementos was a strange place. It was creepier in a way, but it was also brighter. Cages filled with strange people  littered the place, adding to the already eerie atmosphere. They looked just like normal people, but something was...off about them. They weren’t shadows, like those of the corrupt. They seemed...dead inside.

 

 It was relatively easy to move around, the doors easy to find and everything easily set out. Also, the rooms were…empty. Only a few shadows were scattered in each room, almost as if they had been removed. You even went into a room with giant, empty cages on either side , as well as a metal door with a  blue light seeping out from under the crack.

“Why is it so empty?” you asked, feeling like something, or someone was watching you. Ryuji responded by squeezing your hand and pulling you closer.

You opened the strange door and entered a smiliarly spacious room,  with more empty cells surrounding it. Igor, the man from the Velvet Room, was waiting in the centre. Dragging Ryuji, you ran over to him.

“Do you know what this place is? And why is it so empty?” you asked Igor, ignoring Ryuji’s inquisitive stare.

“This place is where everyone’s hearts once dwelled.”

“What? _Once dwelled?_ What does that mean?” you felt your heart thumping in your chest, something feeling horribly wrong, even if you weren’t quite sure of what it was.

“I am Yalbadoth,” Igor-no, the being called Yalbadoth started to float, eyes glowing yellow. It greatly resembled  a shadow.

“Who?”

“I am the God of this world. I can erase what I want, I can bring back what I want and I can give what I want.” He smirked, laughing maliciously. “I released two tricksters into this world…Akira and a young man who called himself Goro Akechi.”

“Akechi?!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“I gave Akira his heart’s desire,” Yalbadoth powered on, ignoring Ryuji. “I also helped you, curious of the outcome. You have succeeded, so I give you the world. For you two. All alone.”

“Why?” you cried out, shocked by the possible loss of life. Haru, Futaba, Makoto, Yusuke, Ann and Akira…all gone. Everyone’s families, everyone’s friends, every single person was gone forever.

Gone.

“You monster,” you snarled, gripping your weapon menacingly.

Yalbadoth threw his head back, laughing until he melted into some giant monster. He was a strange amalgamation of metallic limbs and parts, each holding random, but fairly pedestrian objects like a book and a gun.

Maybe it was a bad idea to challenge this god.

“Let’s go Y/N!” Ryuji said cheerily, stretching his arms.

You attacked in sync, knocking off a chunk of his health. The monster laughed (from where, you didn’t know since he didn’t have a mouth) and aimed his  gun directly at Ryuji.

_He’s going to attack the boy_

Reaper warned you, as if it wasn’t obvious. You waited, daring him to even look in Ryuji’s direction, and if he shot he would-

The shot echoed in the empty room, the bullet embedding himself into Ryuji’s chest. Something clicked in your head. Wondering how on earth Ryuji kept his composure when you were shot, you let out an angry growl before lashing out.

You completely ignored that it was Yalbadoth’s turn and kept attacking, slashing, hitting anything you could; slowly reducing it into a an armless, headless mass.

With a pained cry, Yalbadoth crashed to the ground. Leaving him for the time being, you ran to Ryuji’s side.

“You…did great…” Ryuji managed to spit out before going limp.

“No. No. No, no, no, no, no!” the shock made tears unable to flow, despite the overwhelming  pain in your chest.

How could you have left him to fight that giant waste of space? At that time, the anger had taken over, but now…he was dying.

_Ahem._

_Not now, Reaper. I’m not in the mood._

_I am the Reaper._

_I know._

_I bring about death._

_Yes, I know._

_But, I can prevent it too._

_You can! Then do it! Please, please, please!_

_I’ll have to use you to do the magic though._

_Just do it…please…for me at the very least._

_Very well._

Your fingertips started glowing yellow and prickling a bit, with  Reaper’s guiding hands bringing the magic to  Ryuji’s chest. As the magic  flowed  to Ryuji, it glowed so brightly and brilliantly that it put his hair to shame. When the magic died down, Ryuji’s eyes fluttered open, his lips curling into a wide grin.  You leant down to welcome him back with a kiss.  He was back again, safe and sound.

A loud crash alerted you to bigger problems. You jumped up, staring at the metal being.  The creature returned to the Igor form, looking dishevelled and exhausted.

“Fine. I will give you what you desire. However, in exchange...”

You and Ryuji looked at each other and said in unison,

“For a complete reset”

“In return for what?”

“Our…memories? Of all this?” Ryuji offered. Yalbadoth considered it and slowly nodded.

“Yes…for the boy.”

“What about me?” you asked, heart thumping.

“I want your ability . The Reaper.” He held his hand out.

“But…”

Reaper was your best friend, the one who was beside  you since the beginning of your  journey. You didn’t want to leave him. When you were about to refuse, he appeared behind you and shook his head.

A tear rolled down your cheek and you turned round and hugged Reaper tightly. He returned the embrace with the same strength, despite his illusory form.  With a single wave, he approached  Yalbadoth and shook his hand before disappearing into the deity’s consciousness.

“Well, everything will restart soon, so have your goodbyes,” Yalbadoth waved and faded away, leaving you and Ryuji.

“Ry-” you turned around to speak, but he grabbed you and embraced you tightly, kissing you before you could utter another word.

“Dammit, I can’t forget you! Not after I finally got the nerve to confess to you!” he cried, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. You mirrored his expression, kissing him tenderly, whispering goodbyes and I love yous.

Then everything turned white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not the last chapter yet, but there's only one left!


	9. The last chapter! (epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're finally at the end.

“You’re in the Phantom Thieves, right?” you asked, absent-mindedly toying with your straw.

The ice cubes clinked, punctuating the silence.

“How did you know?”

_Oh, ‘cause I’m one too. Remember when we defeated an evil god? I kinda had to give up my Persona in a deal-with-the-devil setup, along with your memories. Oh, did I mention we kissed?_

 

That was what you wanted to say, but you held your tongue.  He’d probably call you a weirdo and run off. Instead, you smiled demurely and winked.

“And if I’m not wrong, our student council president recently joined your cause, correct?” you felt like laughing at his gobsmacked face. If only he knew. If only.

“Shit. Was it that easy to find out?” he frowned over his soda, not looking forward to breaking the news that he accidentally outed the group _again._

“No. I just…happen to know,” you said.

“What do you-” he started.

“Well, look at the time! I’d better be going!” you chirped, practically running out the door, your soda forgotten.

 

 

_A few months later_

 

 

Ryuji stared at you from across the room, wondering how you thought of him. He hoped he left a good impression on you, and that you didn’t just write him off as a delinquent. Even though you were a bit suspicious (how did you “just know” that he was a Phantom Thief?), he just _had_ to get to know you better.

His face flushed crimson, but something told him this wasn’t just another crush on a pretty girl.

He couldn’t have…you had only known him for a few months…so why did it feel like you two had known each other for longer?  But he had, and so there you sat, completely oblivious to his feelings. He sighed and slumped in his chair.

You, however, quietly mulled over your feelings on the other side of the room. You still liked Ryuji, but the fact that he lost his memories of you might mean that he no longer returned those feelings.  Even if he did, how would you explain everything? As you stared out the window, you spotted a black cat creep into view, settling on the windowsill. Cracking open the window, you gestured for Morgana to come in.

“Hey Morgana,” you whispered, slowly scratching his ears. You froze as it occurred to you that you weren’t supposed to know him.

“How do you know me? More importantly, how can you understand me? You’re not Akira’s friend, right?” he meowed curiously, not expecting a reply. Stupidly, you forgot that he was a cat and you weren’t supposed to understand him, and answered out of habit.

“I just do. And I’ve talked to Akira, I guess?” you supposed handing him letters and leaflets counted as talking.

Ryuji, who was still on the other side of the room, watched this exchange with narrowed eyes before zooming over.

“Morgana, go call Akira for a meeting,” Morgana sped off, and Ryuji turned to you. “Can you come?”

Silently, you nodded, feeling disappointed in your lack of deception while dealing with your former teammates. Now, you had to face the whole of the Phantom Thieves because of your mistake.

 

 

“So how the heck did you find out about us?” Futaba inquired, “Your info gathering skills can’t be better than _mine_ ” she grumbled, fiddling with her headphones. It was strange. Futaba felt nervous around new people, everyone knew that, but you didn’t bring her any discomfort. In fact, you felt almost familiar to everyone in the room. A sort of déjà vu.

“I just did, ok!” you snapped back, sick of the constant questions. This was the fifteenth time you had been asked that. They had no right to interrogate you like this, as you sat on one side of the table and the rest crammed on the other. They even had a table lamp, for goodness sake!

“You’re a very poor liar, Y/N-san,” Makoto stated for the sixteenth time. You understood what they were trying to do, badgering you with the same questions over and over until you were sick of it and gave in. A pretty obvious plan, but a good plan nonetheless. Even though you were aware of the plan, you felt yourself growing more irritable and had to suppress the desire to shut them up.

“Oh yes, my bad, I’m a mind reader with special powers,” you said sarcastically, clenching your fists.

“I mean, it could be possible…we’ve seen all sorts in the Metaverse…” Morgana whispered.

“I’m not actually a mind reader, you dumbasses!” you cried out, facepalming.

“Then how? How do you ‘just know’? I just don’t understand!” Makoto shouted back, losing her composure. Clearly, your stubbornness had ruffled her feathers.

“Then, do you want to join?” Akira asked, finally speaking after staying silent for the whole time. “I mean, you _are_ a Persona user, right?”

The word “Persona” made you deflate a little inside. It was strange how you only missed something after you had it. Ever since Reaper had left, you had felt like something was missing. Although you managed to keep the sadness at bay most of the time (after weeks of crying to sleep), you still felt a lingering emptiness left by Reaper’s absence.

“I…can’t summon a Persona. Just…don’t mention it, ok?” you answered sadly, averting your eyes.

“Why not?” Ann asked. You knew she meant well, but you so badly wanted to wipe that naive look off her face.

“That’s none of your business,” you replied curtly.

“Why don’t we test it?” Ryuji said cautiously, concern in his eyes. “You never know.”

His gaze was gentle and you blushed a little before nodding. It wasn’t a bad idea and maybe they’d stop bugging you.

 

 

Mementos was as creepy as ever, but that didn’t bother you in the slightest.  You had spent a lot of time in here. Your nonplussed expression shocked everyone. Most people felt at least sickened by Mementos, if they weren’t at least scared.

“How do you _make_ someone have an awakening?” Futaba asked, holographic screen appearing as she clicked, trying to make something work.

There was no need.

You felt the familiar surge of pain, the feeling of a mask appearing on your face and the need to rip it off. It wasn’t your skull shaped mask. A voice spoke, but it was not the cold, stoic voice of The Reaper. It was a confident voice, and you could hear the smirk in her voice.

_You’re back._

“You’re…not…the…Reaper…” you answered through gritted teeth, the pain almost unbearable.

_I am not. I am the side of you that you hid away. Come and join me?_

Feeling the desire to rip the mask off again, you obliged, tearing it off without a care.  The Phantom Thieves hissed in reaction. They had all ripped their masks off in a similar manner, but you used such force that you nearly tore the skin off your face.

Falling to the ground, you felt your clothes change to something lighter. The blood dripping onto it didn’t stain it but was absorbed. You looked up. Huge, feathery wings stretched out, filling the space. Her blood-red lips curved up into a confident smirk, white teeth glinting in the little light Mementos provided. Black like a void, her dress fluttered in the wind, covering everything but her feet. She was holding a golden staff in one hand with a charm in another, which both glowed with some sort of supernatural power. She carried herself with the air of someone who knew what they were doing all the time.

Your clothes were similar, but you lacked the confident air she pulled off easily. You too carried a staff, but it was pointed at one end and lacked the embellishments of hers. Also, it was light and easy to carry. Maybe this could work. As you stood up, she grinned.

“I’ve been waiting for a while, honestly. We can _finally_ get some revenge!”

“What’s your name?” you asked, heart pounding with anticipation. Revenge, huh?

_“_ Nephthys” she answered, slowly taking your hand in hers. Her hands were rough and calloused, as if she had been handling something like a weapon for a long time. She took it and kissed it, and as soon as her lips touched your hand, you felt a surge of power rush through your veins as she swirled into a mask that slotted itself onto your face.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, you turned to the Phantom Thieves, who looked gobsmacked, especially Morgana. He had never seen an awakening triggered by nothing. When they realised that you were fine, they gathered around, looking at your gear. No one else wore their rebellious image, their cognition, the way you did.

“Can’t summon one, huh?” Ann teased, smiling and leaning on your shoulder. You smiled back, feeling relieved. That emptiness left you, with your chest filled with warmth. Ryuji shuffled closer, looking a bit bashful, as he stared at your new form in awe.

Almost as if someone else was guiding you, you stepped forward and kissed him carefully on the lips. You were only awoken back to your normal state when Futaba and Ann whistled and laughed. Blushing bright red you stepped back, frantically apologising.  Ryuji had a determined look on his face and he stepped forward and kissed you. You felt your knees buckle and your face flush.

At this rate, all the blood in your body would go to your face. Ryuji pulled away, sheepishly smiling.

“Sorry to be a cock block, but we have to go,” Ann said, gesturing at the Phantom Thieves who were already leaving. Laughing, you held Ryuji’s hand in yours, happiness flooding through your body.

Maybe you could leave the past behind and it would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really enjoyed this series and sorry I've been gone so long...but I finally finished it! Now, I need to think of a new project.  
> Thanks for reading the whole of Trapped in a cage, and hope you enjoyed!


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